ADVENTure

"In the beginning" versus "Once upon a time" is where our ADVENTure begins, and it is a story far greater than any fairy tale ever told because...it is true! 

Every year as Christmas nears, we anticipate and celebrate His birth through our homemade Jesse tree ornaments and/or a precious Advent wreath made by Ella during her early Montessori days.  

https://cyndi-ella.blogspot.com/2011/11/celebrating-advent-from-creation-to.html

We welcome this period of waiting, even more so since we are surrounded by a world of people who can't seem to wait for much of anything.  Our desires for instant gratification is ever-present with the rise in online shopping (Amazon), fast food, video games, etc.  

"Waiting is the hardest work of HOPE."  Jesse in the Bible experienced the miraculous impossible when his family tree (that looked more like a stump from failing God) eventually sprouted a new shoot of Hope.  

Waiting is where God prepares us for our next ADVENTure; growth is in our struggles.  It is when we become impatient and try to write our own story, that the ending falls short. 

This morning, we lit our candle of Hope, as a reminder that God's promise comes true, and He sends His son as a light in the world.  

We're thankful for men like Isaiah and Micah, who were faithful in their waiting for the light, when all around them was dark. 

"And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?  My hope is in YOU!  Psalm 39:7